On Monday, August 24 the Garretson City Council held a special meeting to go over the budget, ensuring that it follows the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and is fiscally responsible. As a part of that discussion, the council continued to look at annexation for some areas on the edge of city limits.
At the initial reading of the budget at the August 3rd meeting, City Finance Officer Anna Uhl noted the budget was over by $46,000, but also said she still had some areas that needed refining and would likely be balanced by the second reading, which will be done at the Sept 8 City Council meeting.
The council and Uhl went over the CIP together, making note of several areas that had already been completed, such as the Garretson Park Advisory Committee’s recommendation that five cameras be installed at Split Rock Park and Devil’s Gulch. While there was discussion as to whether more cameras may be desired in the future, the council opted to wait a year or two to analyze whether there was a need.
Streets, sidewalks, and trails were also contained within the CIP and had substantial funds allotted to them in the budget. The City is already looking to hire one more full-time maintenance employee, which may require the purchase of at least one more vehicle. A second vehicle may be needed due to the age of another truck.
Uhl pointed out that the sidewalk fund would have enough money in it to begin the process of replacing sidewalks in the community. She also noted that the bike trail was slated to begin in force in 2021, but no plans have been finalized for that.
There are two streets in city limits that are in need of construction. While 1st & Canyon is one of the oldest sections of town, it may be moved down the priority list one spot, with 5th Street from Highway 11 to the bridge taking precedence. Replacement of the water main in the industrial park caused it to deteriorate. However, no plans have been finalized for either street at this time.
An area of concern is the road leading to Palisades State Park (485th Avenue), which would play a large role in placing a bike trail connection from Garretson to the park. Having a connection becomes even more important in the next few years as the park will be moving its entrance further away from Garretson, and the city does not want to lose the visitors that would otherwise come to town. Conversations with the state regarding plans for the current entrance are ongoing but are not producing any results, and the council is concerned about the road condition.
Due to this, the council discussed the possibility of a window of opportunity for annexation in that area. The City would be able to provide services and upkeep of the road to the residents, but are aware that many may not view annexation as a positive development. No decisions were made, but the council is likely to keep the discussion going.
At the same time, Uhl agreed to speak with Infrastructure Design’s Chad Hanisch in order to start planning the next steps for a bike trail, and to work with him on developing the area south of Frank Avenue known as “The Boot,” which stretches from Sarah C Street to 254th Street.
The council then discussed Split Rock Park improvements that are contained within the CIP. Those include improvements to the bathhouse, the dam, and improved bathroom and/or shower facilities. Uhl pointed out that she had placed $10,000 into Capital Outlay for bathroom facilities, and plans to do that over the next several years. Depending on the location of the new community center/city hall, it’s a possibility that showers could be placed there instead. However, much of that is in the beginning stages of planning, and will not be finalized for at least a year to five years.
The discussion then moved to natural gas, with council member Tom Godbey inquiring whether adding more customers was desired. He would like to see an inquiry of the houses along 486th Avenue toward the railroad tracks, to know if it was desired enough to offset the costs of installing the infrastructure. No final decisions were made, but the council thought it would be something to look at. The discussion also ranged around annexation with regards to providing natural gas as an incentive.
After the consideration of the CIP, the council then discussed finer points of the budget, with Uhl educating council members on certain areas such as CDs and enterprise funds, and how money is allocated if large projects are not completed in that fiscal year. Areas such as increased salaries and the possible addition of more employees were also discussed.
Two months ago, the council had received the results of a salary study that noted our City employees’ salaries were far below market value, which meant hiring any new qualified employees could be difficult if they were not raised. With that in mind, Uhl placed salary increases for current full-time employees into the 2021 budget.
Council member Richelle Hofer discussed a desire for doing some long-range strategic planning with an organization such as Dakota Resources, and the council was agreeable to that idea. This type of strategic planning could help the City decide what type and how many more employees may be desired as the community grows.
At that time, the council adjourned. The next regular meeting of the City Council will be on Tuesday, September 8 at 6:30 p.m. at the Legion.
